Adventure Funnel: Skeletal Corsairs of the Barbary Coast

And now for a little experiment...

Today I'm going to take Dr-Rotwang's Adventure Funnel and use it to develop a scenario for Sunday's Pirates vs. Vampire game. Before I can jump in and start creating, I do need to consider my player characters:

Alaric Anchorman: Swashbuckling former lieutenant of the Royal Navy and aspiring young "privateer".

Hector Valdez: A former blood thrall and current member of the anti-vampire resistance.

John "Mad Jack" Murphy: Ships' doctor and resident vampire-hunting specialist (and my own npc/occasional pc).

(As-Yet-Unnamed): A merchant-trader with an interest in Jewish mysticism.

I'm going to assume that the characters are already serving on a privateer ship that is operating at the behest of anti-vampire personages in the British government. Young Alaric is not currently captain, but I expect that he will be thrust into that role early in the adventure.
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SPOILER ALERT [My Players Should Turn Back]

Preparing for Pirates vs. Vampires

I'll probably break out the Adventure Funnel later tonight, once I have time for some clear-headed creativity. Meanwhile, I thought I'd catalog the various resources that I'll have at my finger tips when running Sunday's play-by-post Pirates vs. Vampire game.

Rules

• Risus: I don't really need to refer to it anymore, but it's good to have around for the groovy vibe that it gives off.
• The Risus Companion: I'll have it handy because there are a couple of Target Number charts to which I occasionally refer and haven't completely memorized.
• The Mythic Game Master Emulator: I'll need to have this handy if I decide play alongside my players or if I want the action to veer into really unexpected territory. There are a handful of charts that will see constant use.
• Mythic Variations: I'll probably use some of the variant event tables to better reflect the genre (Action-Horror). 

Name Generators

• Kleimo: Not as useful as it would be for a modern or near-future game, the random names pulled from real social security data are still useful for (mostly) anglo-saxon non-player characters.
• Chris Pound: Again, not quite as useful as it would be for a straight-up fantasy or science fiction game but there are still some useful tables for faking names from non-western cultures.
• Seventh Sanctum: Contains generators for pirate ship names, tavern names, and a few culturally-specific character names. Lots a stuff, really. Worth checking out.
  
• Everyone Everywhere: My go-to-list for names by culture.

Mythic Complex Questions

• Brewers Dictionary of Phrase and Fable: The url for the last entry is http://www.bartelby.com/81/17757.html. To randomize, simply roll d20,000, discard anything over 17,757, and then change the url accordingly. The results are often arcane but surprisingly well-suited for generating ink-blot answers appropriate to the genre and era.
• TV Tropes: Has a Random Item button to produce a random trope that can be exploited for certain complex questions. More likely to produce anachronistic results than Brewers, but the cinematic potential is much greater.
• Wikipedia: The random article link can produce a huge variety of material. I just use the first genre-appropriate idea that pops into my head. Though it can produce some real head-scratchers, it is especially good for geographical questions.
  

Other

• AEG's Ultimate Toolbox: Pricey for what amounts to be a giant book of tables, but many of these tables are highly appropriate to the Pirate genre. It was an impulse purchase that I hope to justify by heavy use in this campaign.
• UNE: It stands for Universal NPC Emulator. I don't find it that useful for NPC emulation, but it can be used to help create interesting NPCs when otherwise stumped.
• Instant Game: More useful tables, especially for generating settings.

Online Play

One of the great things abut Risus is its suitability for online play-by-chat or play-by-post games. If you have ever played either type of online game then you will probably agree that the pace, as compared to traditional face-to-face games, can slow down to a crawl. Games that might seem perfectly playable on somebody's dining room table become extremely unwieldy was transported to a different medium.

Disregarding the obvious problems of play-by-post games*, play-by-chat games slow the speed of communication in an exponential fashion. Maybe it's because of the slowness of typing (especially for two-finger typers like me) or maybe it's the lack of audio-visual context. Whatever the reason, the pace of these games limits what can be accomplished in a session and scenes with intense die-rolling, rule-checking, and tactical decision making seem to drag on and on. It becomes very difficult to produce that kind of seat-of-your pants excitement that should be possible in face-to-face games.

But this is where Risus comes to the rescue. Combat (and any other action sequence modeled as combat) is typically over very quickly in Risus. There isn't a lot of back-and-forth discussion of rules and tactical decisions are rarely important. Combat resolves into a few die rolls and the narrative abilities of the players involved to make things exciting and interesting. Speeding up combat makes room for more combat (and other cool activities) and hence a great deal more can be accomplished in a given session.

I know folks who love tools like Open RPG. I've personally used Screen Monkey on my Dragonspire game a few years back.  But as I prepare for Pirates vs. Vampires, I think I'd like to simplify things a bit. We're going to use iChat with audio and possibly video. That should speed things up a fair bit, though I may miss the transcript. I'm also not going to worry about preparing pretty maps at all (that was another cause of slowness in Dragonspire). For dice, I'm probably going to use a real-time dice-server like Hamete. Other than that, there's nothing to it. No need for  fancy character sheets or NPC trackers in Risus.


* I should note that while I love the idea of play-by-post games, I find them impossible to play for reasons entirely unrelated to speed. My problem is that they are always on and that I tend to get into a mode where I feel the need to respond to posts at all hours of the day. For me, it makes it much more difficult to get anything else done.

Monster-Themed Campaigns

Entering the planning phase of my upcoming Pirates vs. Vampires game, I am just starting to consider themes. Even though I will be world-building as I go and possibly using the Mythic Game Master Emulator to drive the game into unexpected directions, I would like to incorporate one or more recurring motifs. Themes are a great way to focus adventure design and they can really give a campaign a unique character.

[Spoiler Alert - My Players Should Turn Back]
In Pirates vs. Vampires I'd like to use a monster-based theme. Specifically, I'd like to feature the various "traditional" undead types from the D&D Monster Manual (edition is irrelevant). This is a game about vampires and vampires should be involved (directly or indirectly) in every story. But as we proceed from adventure to adventure, I'd like to successively move through the various D&D undead types as a way of marking the progress of the campaign. And by making a particular type of undead the focus of an adventure, I can incorporates all sorts of related thematic elements.

I've done this before with my sadly aborted Dragonspire campaign. Inspired by the Dragonlance modules of old, I wanted to create a campaign that walked through the various chromatic dragons in order of their deadliness. Of course, I only actually completed the white dragon adventures in both my online and face-to-face games. But those adventures were fantastic. Set during the height of winter, the characters ventured into snowy peaks and faced down many of frost-related challenges. Each adventure concluded with an exciting set-piece battle with an appropriately scaled white dragon "boss". And though the campaign was discontinued due to scheduling issues, the black dragon-themed adventure was going just as well.

To start things off, I think I'll start with the lowly skeleton. What comes to mind when one thinks of skeletons (especially as they relate to pirates)? Off the top of my head, I imagine a Ray Harryhausen Sinbad-esque adventure along the Barbary Coast.  Images of skeleton-crewed galleys and scimitar-wielding skeleton warriors practically leap into my head. No doubt there is a vampire necromancer who is using these skeletal minions to control the Mediterranean. Already, the simple choice of a skeleton motif has moved the setting out of the Caribbean and into a Arabesque North Africa.

Pirates vs. Vampires: Mad Jack

To get my Pirates vs. Vampires game started, I thought I'd post my own personal character that I hope to run alongside the regular PCs (and as a full player character when the GM duties are shared). 


John "Mad Jack" Murphy

Handsome Irishman with unruly brown hair and a three-day beard. His brown eyes alternate between communicating the joy of new love to the mad fury of one who has watched his lover's heart ripped out by vampires.

Cliches: Swashbuckling Vampire Slayer (4), Disgraced Jesuit Alchemist (3), Navy Surgeon (3).

Questing Dice (Kill All Vampires): [] [] [] [] []

Hook: Tragic Love (driven by love; doomed to have his heart continually broken)

Languages: English, Irish Gaelic, French, Latin, and Greek at the very least. As a classically educated Jesuit alchemist (and world traveller), he can make a TN roll to know a variety of other languages.

Lore: Versed in a variety of Catholic rituals (including blessings and exorcisms). Also knows a number of common (and not-so-common) alchemical formulations. Examples include but are not limited to the "Elixir Vitae", unusually strong solvents (but no the Universal Solvent), Soma, and chemical light. Mad Jack can improvise or research new formulations, though this usually counts as not having proper tools.

Tools: A blessed crusader sword of the finest Damascus watered steel; 2 silver throwing knives; a blessed hawthorn stake, a hammer-backed hatchet; vials of holy water; communion wafers; two flint-lock pistols (with silver and lead balls); silver crucifix; rosary; small silver mirror; garlic; pocket bible; other (unspecified) vampire hunting tools; ship-based alchemy lab; occult library; surgeon's bag.

Other Gear: Personal affects (though the grooming kit rarely sees use). Keeps mementos of past loves.

Backstory (not a full Tale): Irish Catholic second son who entered the seminary to become a Jesuit scholar. As a Jesuit, he learned alchemy, became a missionary, and was seduced by a vampire. After his fall from grace he enlisted in the Royal Navy as a surgeon and achieved enough success to begin courting a virtuous maiden of good family from Bath. When his love was slaughtered by his former vampire paramour he dedicated his life to fighting the undead scourge. When he drew the notice of the Undead Secret Masters he was forced back out to sea as a pirate, or vampire-hunting privateer as he likes to think of it.

Pirates vs. Vampires

I week from tonight I hope to commence my first play-by-chat game in over two years. I don't yet have a fancy name for the campaign, but the working title right now is "Pirates vs. Vampires". I have not, as of yet, done a lot of preparation. In fact, the game will be something of an experiment in build-as-you-go world-building. In addition to cranking out content for this blog, I am already running two face-to-face games (a Gurps 4e Steampunk/Pulp/Dimension-Hopping mash up and Slaying Solomon). I simply won't have the luxury of detailing the world to any great degree of detail.

What I do have, however, is a simple and compelling premise. The campaign takes place in a fantastic (horrific) version of our own Golden Age of Piracy (early 1700s). The hook is that vampires rule the world from the shadows. Our heroes are privy to this terrible secret and have taken to seas for their own survival and to strike back against the commercial interests of the undead aristocracy.

For inspirations, I'm obviously going to rely heavily on the recent Pirates of the Caribbean movies for look-and-feel. I also like the aesthetic of Brotherhood of the Wolf, though it is slightly anachronous. Literary sources for swashbuckling goodness primarily include On Stranger Tides, by Tim Powers and The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson.

For the vampire elements I'm going to be mostly traditional. The whole reason the characters will take to the seas is that most vampires will possess stereotypical gothic vulnerabilities. Moving water and the high seas (not to mention the sunlight of the tropics) will be problematic for them. While (named) vampires will be complicated characters with a whole host of motives, they will not (by and large) be sympathetic. No Twilight-style sparkle vampires here! Vampires have to be scary to be effective antagonists. I'll save the rest of the vampire details for a spoiler-filled post later.

Back to my lack of time to prepare...

I have various tools to help me in this. For creating fully plotted adventures, I hope to use Dr-Rotwang's Adventure Funnel (first mentioned on this blog here). Once I figure out my spoiler policy, I hope to actually post my funnels as I come up with the. Additionally, the pace of play-by-chat games make me think that I'll be able to use the Mythic Game Master Emulator to assist in running free-form sessions. It's not so much that I'd have difficulty improvising from scratch, rather I might enjoy running a character next to the players and being surprised by what happens. The Mythic GME also has some wonderful tools to help move a game in unexpected directions. When improvising on my own, I often fail to consider the really interesting cases that might otherwise arise from the Mythic approach.

I forgot to mention the most obvious tool for a GM with minimal time to prepare: Risus! Can't beat Risus for whipping up a game in a hurry.

The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress: Recap

Over at the Mythic RPG Yahoo Group, Doc Halloween pointed it out that there have been some folks who have discovered the Mythic Game Master Emulator through this blog and I know that some Mythic users have discovered Risus in the same way. I do plan on setting up a page to help people interested in Risus and the Mythic GM Emulator find additional tips and examples of play. That's still in the works (especially as I return to some unfinished stories that I'm anxious to complete). In the mean time, I'm going to use this post to index the scenes of my previous story: The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.

Introduction
Explanation of Mythic Elements
Scene 1: In which we find Katja alone in a cell, trying to cope with isolation. She cannot see the sky and has only been able to mark the passage of time through her monthly cycle. There is no apparent means of escape and she has not dreamed of the Silver Huntress in the many months of her imprisonment.
Scene 2: In which Katja encounters the person who gave her the embroidered dress. The matter of Katja's imprisonment is (perhaps) resolved.
Scene 3: In which the woman returns, Katja is taken outside for the first time, and she is driven to the woman's dacha to prepare for her magical demonstration.
Scene 4: In which the woman and Katja arrive at a remote dacha in the early evening.
Scene 5: Susi to leads Katja to the kitchen for a meal and conversation.
Scene 6: In which Susi brings a bathed and clothed Katja to Nina's study to prepare for the demonstration.
Scene 7: Nina and Katja ride to the clearing in the woods (the same clearing that was in Katja's dream). Katja examines the menhir and performs her ritual.
Scene 8: Wherein Katja explores her accommodations, considers her situation, and plots her escape.
Scene 9: Wherein Katja and Nina get down to business in Nina's study.
Scene 10: Wherein Katja, Nina, and Igor depart the dacha via automobile and travel for hours through snow-covered forest.
Scene 11: Wherein Katja will be given a horse, crossbow, and spear for a late afternoon hunt; a ritual follows under the full moon.
Scene 12: Wherein Katja nervously endures her first police/military checkpoint outside of Saint Petersburg/Leningrad.
Scene 13: In which Nina takes Katja with her to visit a professor to gain information on the sword before going to the antiquities dealer.
Scene 14: Wherein the Silver Huntress delivers a message of justice achieved.
Scene 15: Wherein Ivan shows up at Nina's apartment with the cursed sword (making any meeting with Mororov conclusively unnecessary).
Scene 16: In which Katja and Nina encounter a security checkpoint while boarding a ship for England.
Scene 17: In which Katja and Nina attempt to ambush two guards, take their clothes, and try to leave the ship undetected. 
Scene 18: In which Katja tries to get off the ship.
Scene 19: In which Katja meets the girls from New Zealand and witnesses a new turn of events on shore.
Scene 20: In which Katja confronts the soldiers and rescues Nina thanks to an unexpected burst of power.
Scene 21: Wherein Katja recovers in a Saint Petersburg safe-house
Scene 22: In which Katja emerges from her room to find Igor conversing with the girls from New Zealand.
Scene 23: Wherein Katja confronts Nina about the sword as they prepare to drive out of the city before dawn.
Scene 24: An uncomfortable journey through Siberian roads to the border.

RPG Blogger Membership

I am spending my last night in South Korea trying to catch up on email. One of the messages waiting for me in my inbox was a very nice acceptance to join the RPG Bloggers Network. The RPG Bloggers Network is sort of one-stop shopping for game blogs on the Internet. As per Article I of the Charter of the International Order of Risus, I hope to promote, encourage and celebrate all things Risus for the multitudes who frequent that site who might not otherwise be familiar with the game. Other than some upcoming layout improvements (perpetually in the works), nothing will change on this site.

If you've come here from the RPG Bloggers Network then welcome! Please take a look around and feel free to leave comments.

Adventures in Real Life

As has been alluded to in previous posts, I am working overseas this week. For the next few days, my access to the Intertubes will be limited. I don't expect that I'll be able to do much blogging until after I return to the States on Saturday and have had a day or so to recover from jet-lag.

In the mean-time, you'll have to content yourself with the stats for an insidious creature that is perfect for facing down your bravest player characters is combat that could only happen in Risus...

Korean Demon Toilet

Its comfortable-looking seat invites you to relax and perform your natural functions free from worry. But lurking to the left of its innocent porcelain facade is a confusing array of gadgetry designed to humiliate even the most world-wise of travelers.

Cliches: Confounding Instrument of Foreign Technology (4); Water Cannon (3); Warm and Soothing Bum Comforter (2).

Music as Inspiration

Towards the tail end of my thirteen hour flight yesterday, I was too uncomfortable to sleep and I was too tired to do anything useful. After exhausting the videos that I wanted to watch, I just sat back and listened to music. It was actually wonderful. I almost never just listen to music anymore. I'm always listening to music while doing something else and it just sinks into the background. Actively listening made me remember that I used to draw so much inspiration from artists that I love.

This is relevant to this blog because I look back over the years at the games that I have run and realize that music has been an inportant source of inspiration for many of them. I'm not talking about coming up with a cool soundtrack once the main idea has been developed (though I do that as well). I really mean that music informed the campaign development from the start.

Unlike in visual media, the inspiration that one receives from music might not be entirely obvious. Sure, there are lyrics that inspire me. I did run a Rolemaster epic adventure based on the song "King of Pain" by the Police (I used the song lyrics as prophecy). I came up for the name and themes of a long running cyberpunk/vampire campaign from the lyrics to a My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult song ("The Velvet Edge", which you will note also is my domain name). But the true value of music as a source of inspiration is that can evoke specific moods and feelings that are entirely personal. When I listen to Peter Gabriel's Passion, I am specifically conjuring up images and feeling that will be completely different from yours. I never saw The Last Temptation of Christ, so I place the music in an entirely different context. For me, I hear Sword & Sorcery. I hear desert caravans and vibrant bazaars. Listening to it along with Lorenna McKennit's An Ancient Muse (and some Dead Can Dance) makes me want to run a campaign set along a real or fictional Silk Road.

Music also inspired specific characters. In college, I took a music appreciation class. As our final assignment, we had to write up our thoughts and feeling about a small handful of classical pieces. Being the procrastinator that I was, I waited until the last possible moment and shut myself in a darkened room, laid on the floor, and blasted the music. Given that Igor Stravinsky's Rite of Spring was one of the pieces, it kind of freaked me out. Ever since, I've had a thing for the piece and decided to make the riots surrounding its debut central to the backstory of my child vampire, Moondancer.

Since I now have readers that check in regularly, I'm going to invite some participation. Have you ever been inspired to run a particular campaign, adventure, or character primarily through music? Drop a comment and let me know.  

Stitchpunk Goodness

One of the advantages of a long flight is that you get to catch up on movies that you should have seen when they first came out. Today I saw 9 and District 9 (what's up with the number nine?). With nothing else to do on the flight, I naturally starting thinking of how they might inspire gaming material. With District 9, I started thinking about the Kafer of Traveller 2300/2300 AD and how I might do a Risus adaptation of that game. That post will hopefully happen when I return home and have access too my rulebooks. With 9, my thoughts were much less specific and therefore perfect for a quick post before I try sleep off my jet-lag.

9 is not the best steampunk movie that I have seen. That honor goes to Sherlock Holmes (which may or may not inspire a post in the near future). But to someone who loves the steampunk/retro-future aesthetic (as I surely do) 9 is undeniably gorgeous. It's also pregnant with gaming possibilities.

The concept is pure one-shot gold. The players characters are creations that wake up into a world barren of humans. They can solve the mystery of man's undoing, fight other (more hostile) creations, or establish some kind of new society. A series of adventures can do all of the above in an epic quest.

The stitchpunk characters of 9 are not particularly deep with respect to other films but they make great character sketches for a game like Risus. Due to the circumstances of their creation, each little homunculus represents an iconic and complimentary personality archetype with a unique and interesting shtick. 1 is the Cowardly and Stubborn Old Leader; 2 is the Fearless Gadgeteer-Explorer; 3 and 4 are Twin Voracious Scholars; 5 is the Big-Hearted Engineer; 6 is a Sensitive Artist-Prophet; 7 is the Fiercely Independent Adventuress; 8 is the Magnetism-Addicted Muscle; and 9 is the Courageous and Honest Hero.

I also love how the small scale of the stichpunks turns ordinary objects from the ruined world into incredible props (e.g. a scissor blade for a sword and flash-light bulb lamps). And the crumbling post-apocalyptic building become incredible locations for staging action sequences.

Creating the World with Meta-Game Rules

I'm a huge fan of the idea that role playing games are a collaborative storytelling experience. One innovation in the recent generation of games is the ability of players to help create the game world by using some kind of meta-game mechanic to declare facts. As far as I know, the first time this popped up in a rules set was with the appearance of the Serendipity advantage in Gurps 3e. But using Serendipity to declare that "there is a convenient swimming pool for me to land in when I fall out of a burning building" is obviously limited to characters with the advantage. A whole host of 21st century games open this kind of thing up to everybody through Drama Points (Buffy the Vampire Slayer: RPG), Style Dice (PDQ#/Swashbucklers of the 7 Skies), FATE Points (FATE/Spirit of the Century), or something similar.

I'd love to have the ability do something similar in Risus but I wouldn't want to invent a new character trait to do so. I have two ideas:

Lucky Shots/Questing Dice: The Risus Companion already details the use of Lucky Shots and Questing Dice to trigger a montage sequences via the "Eye of the Tiger" rule. What is a montage sequence other than a brief scene where a player usurps narrative control? Dictating facts about the game world is not quite so useful, so I'd say the cost would be reduced to 1 LS/QD for moderate fact declarations (e.g. "I knew the ambassador back in my university days"). It would cost 2 LS/QD for major fact declarations that bring significant benefit (e.g. "the ambassador and I pledged of the same secret fraternal order and he owes me big for saving his life when a hazing ritual got out of hand").

Target Number Rolls: Rather than forcing players to purchase LS/QD for their characters to dictate facts about the world, a GM could also use simple Target Number rolls to simulate the effect. I'd use the guidelines described in the Companion in the "Target Numbers And the Single Showoff" section to determine what sort of Target Numbers would be appropriate based on the dramatic impact of the facts being declared. I've created the example table below as an example of my thinking (don't forget to adjust the Target Numbers to reflect how closely the  new fact relates to the cliche being used).

Minor Fact (TN5): New information adds color to the scene and provides the character with no more than a small benefit (e.g. "The desert nomads of Gargalahar are known to export a particularly potent spirit produced from over-ripe pucker-fruit pouches"). This includes the creation of minor characters that have little game impact

Moderate Fact (TN10): A moderate fact provides a definite mechanical benefit such as helping to deal with one small obstacle (e.g. "I've got this drinking contest in the bag because I've developed an tolerance to pucker-fruit spirits"). Minor characters created may offer some assistance in a scene.

Major Fact (TN15): Information of this nature actually allows a character (or party) to largely bypass a scene and potentially steel some thunder from the other characters (e.g. "I'll diffuse the situation with the suspicious desert nomads because I used to drink pucker-fruit spirits with Chief Dakon the Inebriated"). Significant recurring characters can be introduced that may assist the character or party on an occasional basis.

This is just a half-baked notion at this point and I'd certainly revisit the Target Numbers listed above before employing them in a campaign. But something like this seems like it should be permitted. I'd welcome any feed-back from folks who use it their games.

On Artifacts and Gadgets

Lately, there have been a number of questions on RisusTalk about how to handle magic-items and other gadgets. This is a great way to start arguments about the proper role of equipment in Risus. Even though a properly indoctrinated player will insist there is no wrong way to play, you'll find that many will tell you precisely how you should play anyway. I'm kidding, of course. Risus players are seriously too cool for that. But sorting through the various suggestions on how to handle equipment can be daunting to players who are just learning the system.

The rules as written spend a scant four paragraphs on Tools of the Trade. These four paragraphs are technically all that need be said on the subject of equipment, but I can attest from personal experience that I needed help rejiggering my brain into a state where these four paragraphs were all that needed to be said on the subject for me. Even after adjusting to the Risus mindset, I still find the pages in the Risus Companion that discuss the topic to be immensely reassuring. I was primarily a Gurps guy, after all. Equipment and stuff mattered.

So, to paraphrase the Companion:

If you love stats for gear, you've come to the wrong blog, but you've come to the right post. Weird.

For the sake of brevity, I'm going to ignore the many different custom rules floating around and instead focus on interpretations of what is in the basic rules and the Companion. What follows are the standard ways that you can handle gizmos, gadgets, and magical artifacts:

Tools of the Trade: There is no need for a Strapping Farm Boy Chosen To Wield The Ancient Sword Of Legendary Heroes (4) to actually define his magic sword separately. Having a magic weapon is what his cliche is all about. It's what gives him four dice of effectiveness and allows him to do cool things like fight creatures that can only be affected by magic weapons and to slice and dice otherwise unbreakable objects. The Legendary Sword itself is a Tool of the Trade. Without it, our poor Farm Boy is going to be at half dice at best, or unable to use this cliche at worst (depending on the task).

Bonus Dice Gear: Ah yes, but what if anybody can benefit from that Legendary Sword? Instead, perhaps it awards those who use it with one or more bonus dice to the cliche that they are using in situations that are relevant to the sword's powers. But the Bonus Dice approach is a powerful blunt instrument that can rapidly overpower your characters, especially in a game where a single die radically changes the odds of a contest. These types of items are best limited to gear that is only useful in specific situations. The rules also wisely point out that characters should never begin the game with bonus-dice gear. Save it for the kind of sparkly dingus that is awarded after a dangerous trek through a Dungeon of Doom (6).

Lucky Shots/Questing Dice: But what if the player wants to start with an item that grants a bonus? Time to break out the rules for Lucky Shots & Questing Dice (introduced in the Companion and summarized here). An item that universally grants a bonus a limited number of times in a given session is a great way to explain the effects of Lucky Shots. But what items universally grant bonuses? For gadgets and gizmos and magic items, Questing Dice are where it's at. Questing Dice are associated with specific situations where they can be used. Using the Legendary Sword certainly counts as a specific situation.

Sidekicks & Shieldmates: This is perhaps the most controversial of my interpretations, but I have employed the rules for Sidekicks & Shieldmates (another Companion rules summarized here) for magic items and gadgets in past campaigns. Essentially, the item itself becomes a sidekick and may team up with a user in situations where its cliches are relevant. Its controversial because it seems powerful at first glance and some might take issue with the notion of a non-sentient item teaming up with anybody. But mechanically, there is no difference between an item sidekick and a grunt squad of minions. I like this approach because a Legendary Sword of Ancient Heroes (3) is so much more interesting than a +1 Sword.

It's Just Cool: Perhaps the best way to handle magic-items and gadgets is to avoid numerical rules entirely. The Legendary Sword of Ancient Heroes lets characters fight creatures that they couldn't normally fight, adjusts the Target Number for impressing snooty sword collectors, illuminates dark corridors, and detects the presence of ill-tempered humanoids. It doesn't need to add dice at all. In effect, we've come full circle. This is what happens when the Strapping Farmboy Chosen To Wield The Ancient Sword Of Legendary Heroes (4) gets wounded and must lend his weapon to the Stinky Barbarian From The Badlands of Noor (4).

Hidden Gem: Adventure Funnel

So I'm sitting here stumped for a good blog post on a Sunday night...

It seems weird considering that I just saw Sherlock Holmes and I'm bursting with ideas for things to write about. Great fun! Best steampunk movie since... oh jeeze, I can't think of a better one at the moment. City of Lost Children comes to mind but...

Crap, I'm digressing. I really need to hit the sack so I do not have time for an involved post. But I was reading Guy Hoyle's spoiler blog for his upcoming campaign (go here and be spoiled) and he mentioned that he used Dr-Rotwang's Adventure Funnel technique. Yes, that's the same Dr-Rotwang that I called out for his awesome Risus Stargate SG-1 post over at I Waste The Buddha With My Crossbow (best...blog name...ever). Anyway, in his ongoing quest to find the perfect technique for whipping up top-notch adventures, he discovered a simple yet amazing process. Read the post. It's awesome. It reminds me of the adventure writing process that appeared in the Risus Companion (which essentially boils down to "list steps to achieve goal and complicate each step"). The Adventure Funnel is on a similar order of complexity but it totally supports non-linear adventures as well.

Slaying Solomon Antagonists

I just returned from our long-overdue Slaying Solomon season 6 premier episode. It went very well, if I may say so. I think I set up most of my big-story arc hooks and the episode was full of the kind cinematic moments and witty dialog that make Buffy the Vampire Slayer games so appealing.

As per this post, I used Risus to define a bunch of NPCs before the game.  Here is a sample:

• Bradley Rothschild: Super-Rich Spoiled Scion of a Family of Necromancers (4), Trust-Fund Weenie (3)
• Gary Templeton: Science Nerd (5), Surprisingly Charismatic Mad Scientist (4), Anthony Michael Hall Lookalike with a Thing for Red-heads (3)
• Casey Santino: Art School Sculptor (4), Rune Casting Prodigy Who Learned Everything He Knows About Morality from Playing D&D (4), Naive Wiccan (3).
• Mitchel Ray Harris: Closeted Biopunk Mad Scientist (5), Fashion Designer with a Thing for Retro-Atomic Horror Fetish Gear (2)
• Byron Ross: Japanese Animation Fanatic (5), Spikey-haired Mad Scientist Who Would Be Attractive If He Would Only Pay More Attention To Grooming (4)
• Britta Bot: Synthetic Pleasuredoll with Superhuman Strength and Reflexes (6), Traumatized Former Slayer with a Geas to Love/Protect Gary Templeton (6).
• Gwen Golem: Animated Marble Statue with Superhuman Strength and Toughness (6), D&D Paladin (3)
• Blackwolf Bioroid: Fatally Flawed Vampire Homonculus With a Severe Fluid Leak (6), Potential Slayer-Turned Vampire Predator With A Thing For Claws (6).
• Kitty Roboto: Japanese-style Robot Ninja With Typical Japanese Schoolgirl Interests (6), High-School Outcast Who Spent Time As An Insane Vampire (3)
• Jenny Lu/Vivian Ting: Good-looking Corpse (3) until she becomes a Good Looking Corpse Possessed by the Spirit of an Insane Slayer (5)

Hidden Gem: Risus Stargate SG-1

While digging around on the Intertubes for long-lost Risus content, I stumbled upon this two-year-old post over at I Waste The Buddha With My Crossbow (and really, has there ever been a better name for an RPG blog?). I'm not a Stargate fan, but Dr-Rotwang really makes a great argument for using Risus in serious (or semi-serious) games. He also created these awesome LCB (Little Cartoon Bastards) to illustrate his point.

On Healing

"Dice lost in combat are regained when the combat ends, at a "healing" rate determined by the GM." 

- Risus

Risus completely lacks a formal system of healing damage in combat. Instead, it is left to the discretion of the GM to determine when characters recover from damage (be it physical or otherwise). This can be unsettling to players who are used to games where such things are spelled out with absolute clarity (i.e. most other games). But after getting into the Zen of Risus, a GM will realize that this can be a powerful tool. Instead of relying on a fixed set of rules to restore combat capability to the player characters, the GM is free to use logic, common sense, and comedic/dramatic timing. There is no need for a "1 hour adventuring day" where wounded characters are forced to withdraw to a safe area shortly after breakfast. At the same time, the GM can make it painfully (or hilariously) difficult for characters to recover from a severe ass-whooping if it makes the game more fun. 

Still, guideline are good. This is especially true for novice Risus GMs. The Risus Companion has about a page dedicated to useful advice about healing. There are also frequent discussions on this very topic on the RisustTalk mailing list. In my own games, I typically allow characters to make a "flesh wound" check after a fight to see if any dice can be recovered immediately. This "flesh wound" check is made using the current dice of a given cliche with every multiple of five on the roll restoring one die to the cliche. The "flesh wound" check is merely a guideline and I cheerfully toss it aside for damage described as obviously transitory (no roll required) or severe (it's going to take time and effort to recover).  

Which brings us to the role of the healer...

In dungeon fantasy games, it is traditional that at least one member of the party function as a healer (i.e. cleric). His or her role is to enhance the capabilities of allies and restore them to fighting trim when they get whacked. The nature of the dungeon fantasy genre almost requires a healer, as the loss of resources (i.e. hit points) is typically designed into the adventure.

Though by no means required, a healer can be very useful in a Risus dungeon fantasy game. In fact, given that damage is not restricted to physical wounds, a healer who can restore cliches in short order becomes a viable concept in almost any genre. The presence of a healer will almost certainly affect the rate at which a good GM restores lost dice to characters. Players assuming healer roles are implicitly saying that they want to be stitching up wounds, counceling wounded egos, or repairing damaged hyperdrives. A good GM will provide ample opportunities for them to do so.

The most obvious place to do this is in the down-time after combat. This is almost always a Target Number roll (but see the Risus Companion for ideas on using combat for healing). The Target Number can be almost anything so consistency can be used to avoid the appearance of being arbitrary. Karl Paananen (in this RisusTalk post) suggests a Target Numbr of 5 times the number of lost cliches to heal a single cliche. I hadn't previously been using this particular formula but I like it will probably adopt it in the future (adjusted for the appropriateness of a cliche, of course).

There was also some discussion about healing/buffing allies during a combat. For my part, I say go for it. The healer would be giving up their own chance to attack that round and might expose themselves to attack on subsequent rounds. It prolongs the fight, but this is Risus - combats aren't terribly long anyway. Of course, healers can also fight as part of a team, with their contributed sixes being explained as the critical application of a Cure Light Wounds spell or ultra-tech stimpack.

Moon Goddess: Scene 24

Introduction to this thread: The Moon Goddess Is A Harsh Mistress
Explanation of Mythic elements: What's All This Mythic Stuff?
Previous Scene: Scene 23

SCENE 24
An uncomfortable journey through Siberian roads to the border.

CHARACTERS
The Silver Huntress (her deity)
Soldiers/Police
Drachen (her old warhorse)
Nina Yazov
Nina's Mother (Anna Yazov)
The Hard Man with the Nasty Scar
Susi
Yuliya
Igor
Deidre
Nina's uncle Ulrich
The Wanderer (the target of Nina's hunt)
Hamid
The Commissar
Fanquin Lanfeng
The girls from New Zealand
Crewmen from the smaller ship
Other passengers
Nora (the red-headed girl from New Zealand)
Marna (a brunette girl from New Zealand)
The truck driver

UPDATED THREADS
* Escape to freedom
* Solve the mystery of Nina's mother (though this is well along)
* Decipher the writing on the menhir
* Deliver antique sword to the target of Nina's hunt

CHAOS FACTOR: 4

********************
The scene occurs as expected.

Q: Does Igor try for the Finnish border [Likely]? Yes.
Q: Will they stop by the hunting lodge where Katja killed the bear [Unlikely]? No.

The truck passes out of Saint Petersburg before sunrise without incident. Katja, Nina, Igor, and the girls from New Zealand ride in cramped darkness, huddled in wool blankets. Hours go by with nothing to pass the time but conversation.

Igor doesn't speak much. When he does, it is only in Russian to have brief conversations with Nina. Nora attempts to converse with Nina in Russian as well, but she always answers back in heavily accented English.

Q: Is Nina disturbed at the thought of having a younger sister [50/50]? Yes (presumably, she was not around to learn of her mother's pregnancy and was subsequently never told).

Nina (in response to something Nora says in Russian): "I'd rather not talk about it. You can understand that I'm a little put off by the fact that I was never told that I had a sister."

She says something in Russian and Igor answers in a brief response.

Nora (in English now): "It's not his fault. He was acting under your mother's... our mother's orders."

Nina: "She didn't trust me."

Nora: "I'm sure it wasn't you..."

Nina: "Yes, it was. Our relationship was already strained. I was moving in Lenin's circle back then and she was already starting to argue with the direction of the movement. We had arguments... then we just stopped speaking."

Katja: "When was the last time you saw your mother alive?"

Nina: "Over a year before she was arrested. Presumably, she had Nora right before she was captured."

Katja: "It's so sad."

In the darkness, Katja raises the subject f the menhir.

Q: Does Nina explain what was written [50/50]? Yes.
Q: Did it predict Katja's arrival [50/50]? Yes (barely).
CQ: Some other interesting detail [Brewers]? Sai'vas (the worship of Siva/Shiva).

Nina: "The menhir is ancient and the various inscriptions appear to be couplets in the same epic poem. There were Old Norse runes, classical greek, Sanskrit, Turkish, and various eastern European and western Asian languages written in the Roman alphabet. There's even a couplet in Chinese. It's startling, really. It confirms what my mother was saying all along."

Katja: "And what was that."

Nina: "That her cult... your cult is ancient. It probably pre-dates the Indo-European migrations. There are couplets that describe how some kind of idyllic matriarchal society was overrun by fierce warriors riding on chariots. Then there are hints that her cult survived in the worship of Artemis, Devana, and other goddesses of the hunt and moon."

Q: Are there concrete prophecies [50/50]? Yes.

Nina: "Reading the couplets now, a case could be made for their prophetic nature. They seem to foreshadow definite historical events. Then again, it's always easier to see prophecies of events that have already happened. Just like Nostradomas..."

Nina pauses.

Nina: "You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"

Katja: "The names are unfamiliar, but I think I understand what you are saying. The couplets seem to describe vague prophecies."

Nina: "Some more vague than others. The menhir describes someone very much like my mother, involved in events that bare a striking a similarity to her life and death. But they refer to her as the 'Harbinger of the One Who Comes From Beyond The Moon'. I suppose that would be you."

Katja: "Did you translate all the couplets?"

Q: Did she [Very Unlikely]? Extreme no.

Nina: "Only a small fraction. If I had my notes I could give you the details of what I already told you. But that's all I have. I'm sure there is more to be gleaned from the writings, assuming that one could translate the words. That's where Nasir came in handy..."

Katja: "And yet he still betrayed your mother."

Nina: "I still haven't figure out why he did it. He said it was Lenin's order. That part I understand. I just assumed that his first loyalty was to my mother. I was wrong. Maybe he never believed. Or maybe he did and that's precisely why he betrayed her. Maybe there was something in the prophecy that he never told me."

Another lull in the conversation, followed by small talk amongst the girls from New Zealand.

Q: Does the truck stop at all in the next six hours [Likely]? Yes.
RANDOM EVENT [NPC Positive (Girls from New Zealand) Break War. The Soviets are at "war" with the girls. Thus, that war must somehow break.]

At mid-day, the truck rolls to a stop and the passengers are let out of their hiding place. The sky is crystal clear and the sun is bright on an expanse of snow. Katja notes that there is a strange vehicle with the wings of a bird.

Q: Is Nina surprised to see the airplane [50/50]? Yes.

Nina says something to Igor. He smiles replies with a twinkle in his eye.

Nina smiles as she explains: "Igor's been going behind my back. He's arranged air transport over the Finnish border. We'll be out of Russia within the hour."

Nora and the girls from New Zealand are ecstatic. Katja is almost beside herself with excitement. Soon, she would be truly free. This chapter of her tale was drawing to close.

********************

AND THUS CONCLUDES THIS CHAPTER...
I could have continued from here but I think this was a natural place to pause. I'm currently experimenting with different characters, different genres and different rules. I look forward to continuing Katja's story at some point in the coming months.

I hope you all enjoyed the story thus far (or at least found it useful). Look for new Mythic adventures in Risus in the coming weeks.

Risus OD&D... Auf Deutch!

Over at the Risus TOTM, a German fan of that Old Timey Dungeon Fantasy (better known as OD&D) is planning a cool new Risus supplement with old-school typesetting. Too bad I don't read German. But his initial notes at rettungswurf.wordpress.com sure look impressive, especially when viewed through a very imperfect Google translator.

Moon Goddess: Scene 23

Introduction to this thread: The Moon Goddess Is A Harsh Mistress
Explanation of Mythic elements: What's All This Mythic Stuff?
Previous Scene: Scene 22

SCENE 23
Wherein Katja confronts Nina about the sword as they prepare to drive out of the city before dawn.

CHARACTERS
The Silver Huntress (her deity)
Soldiers/Police
Drachen (her old warhorse)
Nina Yazov
Nina's Mother (Anna Yazov)
The Hard Man with the Nasty Scar
Susi
Yuliya
Igor
Deidre
Nina's uncle Ulrich
The Wanderer (the target of Nina's hunt)
Hamid
The Commissar
Fanquin Lanfeng
The girls from New Zealand
Crewmen from the smaller ship
Other passengers
Nora (the red-headed girl from New Zealand)
Marna (a brunette girl from New Zealand)

UPDATED THREADS
* Escape to freedom
* Solve the mystery of Nina's mother (though this is well along)
* Decipher the writing on the menhir
* Deliver antique sword to the target of Nina's hunt

CHAOS FACTOR: 5

********************
The scene occurs as expected.

Q: Did Igor appropriate a truck to help smuggle everyone out of the city [Likely]? Extreme yes (an excellent truck includes a driver).
Q: Is the other driver a non-descript Russian man in his mid-twenties [50/50]? Yes.
Q: Is it still snowing [50/50]? Yes.
Q: Does Igor hope to hide everyone amongst a regular cargo bound fore the countryside [Likely]? Yes.
Q: Is the cargo newspapers [Unlikely but would very ironic]? Yes.

A steady snow falls in the pre-dawn hours. Igor and another man are busy loading supplies into a "truck" (as Nora called it). Crates of food, blankets, and other supplies are hidden behind bundles of "newspapers". Nora explains Igor's reasoning to Katja, "Soldiers would never expect to find a fugitive in a truck carrying stories that identify them. At least that's the theory. Mostly, I just think that Igor has a weird sense of humor."

Q: Will Igor be coming with [Likely]? Yes.

Some of the other girls help Igor to prepare a small but comfortable hideaway, also concealed by the newspapers.

Q: Is Nina here [Likely]? Yes.
RISUS: Is she still wounded [rolls for cliche recovery]? She's effectively full strength (if a little bruised and battered).
Q: Does she object to the plan [Unlikely]? No.

Nina arrives with her bags fully packed. In addition to her own sword, she carries a bundle that must obviously be the cursed cavalry saber. Katja sees her and seeks her out.

Katja: "So you are going to flee with us?"

Q: Is Nina's tone more conciliatory [50/50]? Yes.

Nina: "Yes. It's a good plan."

Katja: "Then I won't have to ask you for the sword just yet. But you really shouldn't be carrying it. It's dangerous."

Nina: "I'm not sure I believe all those stories of it being cursed. Anyway, I've held it since yesterday and I haven't suffered any ill-effects. I should be fine."

Katja: "Ok, but don't say I didn't warn you. The sword has a will of its own. It's goals would seem to line up with those of mine... and your mother's."

Nina: "And what are those goals?"

Katja: "First, to protect our kin. By that I mean the followers of the Silver Huntress. We need to get those girls safely back to New Zealand. They are young and never asked to suffer such hardship."

Nina: "Well, New Zealand is close to Australia..."

Katja: "Yes, well, I haven't decided that I'm coming with you to Australia. You'll need to convince me of that. I have much work to do. I need to gather a flock and teach them old ways. The girls are a good start, but I need to make sure our numbers are self-sustaining. And then we must begin Hunt in earnest."

Nina: "The Hunt?"

Katja: "Those who must be hunted. The evil and the unjust, I assume. I'm not exactly sure, but I'm confident that I'll receive guidance."

Nina: "Good luck with that. Whatever. It looks like we're at least on the same path for a while. We'll talk about Australia when we get closer."

Kata: "Why wait? Why must you be so mysterious? Through Nora, Igor already told me about the Wanderer. What is it that you want to get him to do?"

Q: Does she answer that she'll use him to rebuild her base of power [50/50]? No.
Q: Does she answer at all [50/50]? Yes.
CQ: Specific task that Nina has in mind [Mythic Action/Subject]? Vengeance (for) Failure

Nina: "Kill the bastards responsible for ruining my country. That would be a start."

Katja: "Then are goals may align. We'll talk more on the road. It looks like Igor wants us to leave."

********************

CHARACTERS - Add the truck driver

UPDATED THREADS
* Escape to freedom
* Solve the mystery of Nina's mother (though this is well along)
* Decipher the writing on the menhir
* Deliver antique sword to the target of Nina's hunt

Updated Chaos Factor 4

Another Risus Blog

Well, not specifically Risus... but since guy-wires is written by the one and only Guy Hoyle (He Who Maintains RisusTalk), you can bet that there will be a Risus connection. Guy is restarting his formerly defunct blog with the express purpose of polishing his writing chops. I totally get that. I too harbor delusions/aspirations that I may someday write for fame and fortune. Well, perhaps they are only minor delusions. I know that I have a long way to go before my writing kung fu is up to the task. Until then, this blog is a humble start.

Moon Goddess: Scene 22

Introduction to this thread: The Moon Goddess Is A Harsh Mistress
Explanation of Mythic elements: What's All This Mythic Stuff?
Previous Scene: Scene 21


SCENE 22
In which Katja emerges from her room to find Igor conversing with the girls from New Zealand.

CHARACTERS
The Silver Huntress (her deity)
Soldiers/Police
Drachen (her old warhorse)
Nina Yazov
Nina's Mother (Anna Yazov)
The Hard Man with the Nasty Scar
Susi
Yuliya
Igor
Deidre
Nina's uncle Ulrich
The target of Nina's hunt
Hamid
The Commissar
Fanquin Lanfeng
The girls from New Zealand
Crewmen from the smaller ship
Other passengers
Nora (the red-headed girl from New Zealand)
Marna (a brunette girl from New Zealand)

UPDATED THREADS
* Escape to freedom
* Solve the mystery of Nina's mother (though this is well along)
* Decipher the writing on the menhir
* Deliver antique sword to the target of Nina's hunt
* Investigate the Moon Goddess Cult in New Zealand

CHAOS FACTOR: 6

********************
Interrupt scene!

[Remote Event, Harm (from) Legal Matters. I'll interpret this as news that the
State has decided to pursue official legal action against Nina, Katja, and the
girls from New Zealand.]

Q: Is Igor present [50/50]? Yes.

Dressed and ready for a confrontation with Nina, Katja emerges into a kitchen populated with Igor and the four girls from New Zealand. Nina is nowhere to be scene. The girls look weary and Igor silently smokes a pipe.

Katja (in English): "There is a definite air of despair hovering over this room. What happened?"

Nora holds up another one of those flimsy scrolls with realistic portraits and strangely regular writing. The writing is in Russian but she can clearly see her own face in one picture, right next to a picture of Nina. Below that is the same picture of the girls from New Zealand that she saw in her dream.

Nora: "They are not being shy about it. The hunt has started and it's in the open. The Russian government has declared us all enemies of the State. Nina has been charged with treason. Igor too, actually, but they don't have a photograph of him. The whole story of your escape from prison has been detailed, not to mention the episode on the docks. They really twisted themselves into knots trying to explain that."

Marna (gesturing to herself and the other other girls): "We're merely foreign saboteurs being smuggled into the country illegally. Nevermind that they are the ones who brought us here in the first place."

Katja: "I never posed for that portrait... by the Goddess! That's Nina's mother when she was young."

Q: Is Nora Nina's little sister [Unlikely]? Yes.

Nora: "Uncanny resemblance, isn't it? The girls would have been too young to have met her, and I was just a baby..."

Katja: "You are Nina's sister!"

Nora: "Yes, though I just learned of it today. Igor tells me that I was smuggled out of the country as a baby."

Katja: "But your father..."

Q: Is Nora emotionally strong [50/50]? Yes

Nora: "It's sad, but I never really knew him. I was raised by my aunt and her English husband. She always claimed the Yazovs were admired but unrelated folk heroes. I suspect it was for our protection. She feared the long arm of the secret police. That I'm here now is a testament to the wisdom of her caution."

Katja: "The other girls?"

Marna: "Friends."

The blond and other brunette: "And sisters... with each other, not Nora."

Q: Did Nora experience dreams like Katja's [50/50]? No.

Nora: "My mother... my adoptive mother... really adored my other mother. It's still confusing to me."

Marna: "She used to have us girls over and would tell us stories and feed us bits of secret lore."

Nora: "It was all so exciting and dangerous. At first it was all prancing about under the full moon. Then the magic started working. We made the local papers..."

Q: Was there a conflict with local Christians [Likely]? Extreme yes.

Marna: "The local God-fearing folk misunderstood, of course."

Nora: "No, I think they understood exactly. We were a threat. We were arrested and everything. Fortunately, they don't burn witches in the 20th Century. At least not in New Zealand."

Marna: "The publicity of the trial must have tipped off the Russians."

Katja: "That's horrible."

Nora: "Yes, it was. After this afternoon, I thought it would be over soon. But how are we going to get out of the country with every citizen alert to our presence? Every border is going to guarded."

Katja: "I think Nina wants to stay. She's under a delusion that she can fix this."

Nora: "Yes and no. I think she still thinks that the key to fixing it is in Australia. If that's the case, our destinies are still entwined. Perhaps they always were. She is my sister. And you are some strange simulacrum of our mother."

Kata: "Soul-sister, I think. But yes, our destines are entwined. But we need a way to get out of the country. The port will be watched. What about the roads?"

Nora says something to Igor in Russian and he replies.

Q: Does he think they can get out of the city by automobile [Unlikely]? Yes.

Nora: " Igor says it is possible, but that it won't be easy. There will be checkpoints."

Katja: "What does Nina say?"

Q: Does Nina enter the room [50/50]? No.
Q: Does Marna devalue Nina's input [50/50]? Yes.

Marna: "I don't really care what Nina thinks right now. I'm glad she broke Katja out of jail and all that, but I don't think she's really in charge anymore. I think we are being guided by a higher hand..."

All of the girls look expectantly at Katja.

Katja's is at first dumbfounded that they'd want to place her in charge. She's never been in charge of anything. But then it all makes sense. Her life may have been leading to this moment. Or maybe not this moment specifically, but perhaps something like it. She clearly remembers her vow on the night she formerly accepted her calling:

* "Will you follow the Hunt, and lead it when your time comes?"
* "Will you take my enemies as your enemies and my followers as your kin?"
* "Will you gather others unto you, teach them the ways of the silver hunt, and lead them in my name?"

Katja: "Ok. I'll lead this Hunt, though right now we are more hunted than hunters. Does any of you know anything about this person that Nina wants to contact in Australia?"

Q: Does Igor know (and is he forthcoming) [Very Unlikely]? Yes!

Nora asks Igor something and he replies in Russian.

CQ: What can he say about the target in Australia [Brewers]? Coward (also go back to the earlier complex question for inspiration).

Q: Is it Rasputin [Impossible]? No. I'm going with my first guess of Fairy prince.
Q: Is it Vincelus (from Katja's own world) [Very Unlikely]? No. For a name, I'll use a title rather than a proper name.

Nora: "The Wanderer. That's what my mother called him. Igor calls him the Coward. Apparently, he was a rather important (if fickle) ally of my mother and your namesake. Igor says he's a fairy prince, or that he claimed to be fairy prince. Igor does not hold him in very high regard but my mother put great trust in him. Igor thinks this trust was misplaced. He had already fled the country when she was taken by the Czar's men."

Q: Does Igor know what Nina hopes to achieve by contacting the target [Very unlikely]? Yes.
Q: Does he possess some kind of powerful magic that could be used to gain power over Party officials [Likely]? Yes.

Nora: "Igor says that he was rumored to possess powerful magical abilities. Those abilities included powerful glamours that would have been more suitable to taking the fight to the State then the subtle miracles Anna usually performed. No doubt Nina wants to strike a bargain with him."

Katja: "An my role?"

Nora has a brief conversation with Igor in Russian.

Nora: "Igor says that the Coward was infatuated with Anna Yazov. They may have been lovers. Or he may have courted her at the very least. He assumes that Nina hopes to use you to secure his cooperation."

Katja: "And she was going to try that without even asking my consent? I don't think I'm eager to make deals with powerful Faerie Princes. At least not yet. But we do need to get you girls home. Your families must be worried sick. Nora, ask Igor if he has the sword?"

Q: Does he [Likely]? No.

Nora asks and Igor shakes his head.

Nora: "Nina has it right now."

Katja: "I was afraid of that. I don't think it's safe for her to hold it. It is attuned to the the Silver Huntress, or it least it is not opposed to her. But Nina... she may be vulnerable to its curse. We followers of the Silver Huntress are meant to wield it. I saw the sword in a dream and I think it spoke to me earlier this afternoon. It's a powerful weapon that will help defend us from evil."

Marna: "Good luck getting it from her."

Katja: "We'll deal with that soon enough. My next question concerns those scrolls..."

Q: Are there any more high power scrolls [Unlikely]? Yes.

Marna: "There are about a half-dozen of them left, though I can't really say what they might do."

Katja: "Good, I'll need to look at those more closely. A scroll saved us all this afternoon. It almost seems like Anna Yazov knew we'd need it."

Katja thinks for a moment.

Katja: "I need to perform my nightly ritual and ask for more miracles. Is it safe to go outside?"

After asking Igor, Nora says "It should be, if we stay close by."

Katja: "Great. Would you girls like to join me?"

********************

CHARACTERS - Rename the target to be "The Wanderer"

UPDATED THREADS
* Escape to freedom
* Solve the mystery of Nina's mother (though this is well along)
* Decipher the writing on the menhir
* Deliver antique sword to the target of Nina's hunt

Updated Chaos Factor 5

Moon Goddess: Scene 21

Introduction to this thread: The Moon Goddess Is A Harsh Mistress
Explanation of Mythic elements: What's All This Mythic Stuff?
Previous Scene: Scene 20

SCENE 21
Wherein Katja recovers in a Saint Petersburg safe-house [it was expected that they'd be on ship].

CHARACTERS
The Silver Huntress (her deity)
Soldiers/Police
Drachen (her old warhorse)
Nina Yazov
Nina's Mother (Anna Yazov)
The Hard Man with the Nasty Scar
Susi
Yuliya
Igor
Deidre
Nina's uncle Ulrich
The target of Nina's hunt
Hamid
The Commissar
Fanquin Lanfeng
The girls from New Zealand
Crewmen from the smaller ship
Other passengers
Nora (the red-headed girl from New Zealand)
Marna (a brunette girl from New Zealand)

UPDATED THREADS
* Escape to freedom
* Solve the mystery of Nina's mother
* Decipher the writing on the menhir
* Deliver antique sword to the target of Nina's hunt
* Investigate the Moon Goddess Cult in New Zealand

CHAOS FACTOR: 7

********************
Interrupt scene!

[Move Away Thread (Nina's Hunt), Transform a Path. I'll interpret that as a much longer and more difficult path to Australia.]

Q: Does Katja come to her senses in Saint Petersburg safe-house [50/50]? Yes.
Q: Is Katja alone in a room with Nina [50/50]? Yes.

The next hour is a blur of confused activity. Strong hands guide Katja into another automobile. Others join her in the back seat but she is not able to focus on faces or voices. Eventually, she surrenders to sleep and all is black.

When she wakes, she finds herself in dark room, lit by only a small lamp. Sitting at her bed-side is Nina, waiting patiently for her to wake.

Katja: "Where are we?"

Q: Does Nina mention that difficulties of taking a ship with no crew and the attention of the Soviet Navy [Likely]? Yes.

Nina: "A safe-house in Saint Petersburg. Thanks to your little rampage, it was no longer possible to find sea passage to England. I'm sure the whole Soviet Navy is looking for us. Thanks to Igor, they have false leads to pursue while we find a better place to hide."

Katja: "What did Igor do?"

Q: Did Igor find a crew to pilot the oat that formerly carried the New Zealanders [Likely]? Extreme yes.

Nina: "He used his connections to find a replacement crew for the smugglers' ship. He made sure that some of us were seen boarding that vessel and we 'convinced' witnesses to stand ready to confirm that fact, should they be asked of our whereabouts."

Katja: "Ah."

Katja takes a moment to let that sink in. She's thinking much more clearly now. That transformation spell was more powerful than anything she had ever attempted in the past. She can still almost feel the beast raging inside of her. It was frightening but exhilarating at the same time.

In a moment, Katja realizes that her situation has fundamentally changed...

Katja: "So, I suppose this makes you a fugitive like me?"

Q: Does Nina still cling to the hope of reconciling with the State [Very Unlikely]? Extreme yes (that was unexpected).
Q: Is she a True Believer [Likely]? Yes.

Nina: "Yes, I suppose it does. But don't think for a minute that I'm looking to flee my homeland or organize a resistance cell. I was there at the beginning, Katja. I marched with Lenin. I was a foot soldier in the October Revolution. I shed blood in the Civil War. I still believe we can make this all work."

Katja: "I won't even pretend that I know what you are talking about. All I see is tyranny. And I see that you see it too. They killed your father and they tried to erase your mother. They are still trying to erase your mother. I'm sure your precious State was responsible for kidnapping those girls from their homeland in an attempt to bury your mother's legacy."

Q: "Does Nina communicate her inner conflict [50/50]? Extreme yes.

Nina goes red and fights back tears.

Nina: "Yes. It's all gone to Hell. This was never what we wanted. But we can fix it. I know we can. And somehow you are the key."

Katja: "How can I help? As powerful as my 'little rampage' was this afternoon (and I assume it was *this* afternoon), I am not omnipotent. And though I can't say for certain, I'm fairly sure that the Silver Huntress is at best indifferent to your politics. At worst, she'd want to tear everything down. She's not exactly a 'civilized' goddess."

Q: Does Nina invoke her mother's drive to help the common people [50/50]? Yes.
Q: Did Nina's mother have different ideas about how the country should be governed that Nina now agrees with [50/50]? Extreme yes.

Nina: "But you are wrong. My mother saw a better way forward. She didn't just want to destroy the system. Her goal was Utopia and she saw how very flawed the Bolsheviks were. We argued endlessly about it and she was losing favor with Lenin's crowd even before the Tsar had her arrested. It was Nasir!" (She spits.) "Before you intervened, that bastard confessed to turning her in to the Tsar's Secret Police. And he said he did it under Lenin's orders! Even then, they knew she would be trouble."

Katja: "So you are going to resist?"

Nina: "Yes... no, not in that way. I still believe in the Communist Ideal. It can be made to work."

Katja: "I don't understand you at all. You're still fighting with your mother after all these years. Why? Don't you feel the pull of something greater? Or maybe that's just it... maybe you never felt like you were chosen like your mother or her flock."

Q: Does Nina react angrily to Katja's assumption about her motives. [50/50]? Extreme yes.

Without warning, Nina slaps Katja hard across the face. Stunned, Katja can't even speak as Nina rises to leave.

Nina: "You don't know me, Katja. Don't presume otherwise."

Nina then leaves the room.

Q: Are there windows in the room (indicating that it is night) [very likely]? Yes.
Q: Are there clothes and other personal effects laid out for Katja to change into [very likely]? Extreme yes.
Q: Is the sword in here [Unlikely]? No.

Seething, Katja looks about the room. In an armoire, she finds a wide assortment of clothes that could easily fit her. She quickly finds something warm, comfortable, and (to please her lingering vanity) attractive. As it turns out, it's the hunting clothes she wore several nights ago when first visited the menhir in the clearing. She quickly dresses and then looks for other supplies.

She doesn't find the sword (or any other weapons). But she does find a small bag with various toiletries and oddments of jewelry. She also finds a beautiful circular gadget that she intuits to be some kind of time-piece.

She grabs the bag and leaves the room determined to confront Nina. Katja is through with being Nina's lifeline to political stability. She is bound and determined to take control of her own destiny.

********************

CHARACTERS - No change.

UPDATED THREADS
* Escape to freedom
* Solve the mystery of Nina's mother (though this is well along)
* Decipher the writing on the menhir
* Deliver antique sword to the target of Nina's hunt
* Investigate the Moon Goddess Cult in New Zealand

Updated Chaos Factor 6

2010... Wow!

I'm stealing a few precious moments of internet time on my otherwise unplugged family vacation to wish everyone a Happy New Years. I'll be reconnecting to the web in a few days. Until then, I can't help but be reminded of my long-running Gurps Cyberworld/Voodoo/Vampire/Psionics/In Nomine mash-up that I ran back in the 90's. That campaign kicked off with an in-game date of January 1st, 2010. Real-life has caught up to my near-future gaming. 2009 was a rough year, but real-life has to beat an illuminated cyberpunk dystopia. Let's hope 2010 bring world peace, global prosperity, and lots of gaming.